No no, I'm sorry if I come across a little bitter. It's all coming to an end and maybe I'm still pissed off at all the liars & cheaters from years past. Good luck bro.
SW Club Rankings So Far
- Thread starter Desert Hound
- Start date
Desert Hound
DA
It is an absolutely correct ranking SO FAR. Just like 7 weeks into the NFL we have rankings SO FAR. It doesn't mean that is how teams will end up. It is a point and time look at ranking.
As the season goes on some clubs will move up or down a bit.
I doubt you see big movement. Up a spot or 2 or down a spot or 2.
As an aside I am not pro/anti koge. I lay money they still reside towards the top at the end of the season though.
Back in the old days I hear ECNL had two seasons in one year. I like that for many reasons. Lot's of girls were coming off not being able to practice or play for over a year because of Covid 19 and they didnt have access to fields like others. So of course injuries will play a part in a season. I would like to see a Fall season and a Spring season. A fresh start so to speak.
I don’t think they like the fact Blues isn’t #1 on your “Current Rankings”.
Messi>CR7
GOLD
Slammers, Blues, Strikers, Pateadores, and West Coast all have some teams practice at the Great Park. I have seen kids trying out for new team literally at the field right next to their current team.
oh canada
GOLD
Look, here's the bottom line on the girls side... very few care about rankings...most of us have been asking for ONE SoCal league for years (limit travel, play competitive games locally, show that we are the best region in the country for soccer talent). Finally, we just about have one with ECNL and it seems to be working pretty well. Except for one or two SoCal clubs (you can i.d. those I'm sure), all the others are playing competitive games throughout the region and across age groups. Even a 3-0 game could be a competitive one, so don't judge a game by a scoreline.
The biggest SoCal clubs will compete for trophies, but players at all the others will get plenty of looks (and offers) from top college scouts as well. And, that's the most important thing that we all should want for our kids and from a soccer league. Finally, we seem to be getting it.
No it is not. You cannot accurately rank teams who have played different opponents/strengths of schedules. Every age group is different in terms of who the stronger teams are. But, until everyone plays the same schedule your are comparing apples and oranges. So, as I said, this is not accurate depiction of the strength of teams.
SoccerFan4Life
PREMIER
As a fantasy football fanatic, rankings happen every week and even during preseason. Strength of schedule does change things but ultimately every week the teams can move up or down in ranking. Heck even the experts of the bcs bowl disagree in some ranked teams and they have computers to help them out.
Like he said this is the ranking so far. Strength of schedule will play itself out in a few more weeks. He can do another ranking at that time.
Why so upset about this ranking? It’s just a ranking post.
That's all it is. I loved seeing my dd top team ranked #1 in the country back in 2017. Our pride get's pricked a lot over who is #1 and what club is the best club.
It will not play itself out in a few weeks. It will not play itself out until the end of the season (and even that is not true). Have you looked at how imbalanced some of the schedules are for this fall? Some clubs do not play each other at all until late spring. And, some clubs you play twice, others only once. So the scheduling is a mess in my opinion. Have two divisions if they want, but don't bother playing the other one. ECNL has gone down hill by adding so many clubs. It used to be easy. You played everyone twice and the cream rose to the top. Now it is all unbalanced, and on any given year, one division could be a lot stronger than the other division. For example, the M division could have the top 4 teams in an age group, yet the S division still gets three into nationals, and the 4th/5th best M team is out. If they are not competing for the same spots at nationals why not just treat them like separate conferences?
I am not upset at the ranking, I just simply stated that it is not an accurate portrayal of the clubs at this stage of the season.
Jason DiDomenico
BRONZE
whatithink
GOLD
It will be interesting to see if the DS 07s stick around next year. Its the start of their prime recruiting period so do they stick with GA or move to ECNL. DS used to place their players in the better colleges relative to the other valley teams, but with no ECNL, that's not a given anymore. They do seem to have an inside track on getting kids into YNT camps to pad resumes, so there's that I suppose.
If a few leave, it could end up as a flood. If my kid was one of them, I'd be shopping hard TBH.
what-happened
GOLD
I suppose they could leave. I know parents hold their cards close but the parent group seems pretty solid. They have a lot going for them - legit improvement year over year, coaches with college connections, winning, YNT exposure. It's a really good team with depth. Why leave as individuals when they have the chemistry? Who knows though, parents make decisions for their own reasons. These types of teams tend to fall apart over time. Parents want more playing time. No better way to get playing time than to go to a lesser team or get recruited by the competition with the promise of more playing time.
We place almost too much value on leagues. There is certainly an advantage to play in a league with college exposure. Having gone through the process with my oldest and learning how P5/D1 schools recruit, league isn't the most important thing. Club and coach relationships drive the train. Off shore recruiting also makes things interesting. With the GA and ECNL having showcases, schools will attend. I will not argue that the GA is on par with ECNL as far as team talent, the eye test is obvious. Doesn't mean that GA players won't play in college. Plenty of roster slots to be filled across the country at all levels.
Does DS have a youngers problem? Maybe. Parents want to win immedietedly. Their youngers always lose at first and many parents lack patience. It's silly to have 09s (I would also argue 08s) traveling to far away lands to play games. Unfortunately it's a money grab for both leagues and parents want to feel good when they spend that kind of money. Inflation has driven up the cost of hotels and hotel beer.
I don't think DS younger's problems is the "win now" attitude I think it is the soccer mom talk. The older teams that were recruited when it was DA was considered the top are aging out and there isn't enough talent coming in behind them. I think as a club they have 1 girls team in advanced leagues at ASL 2 in U12 at none at U13 and higher. They have GA and DPL but really nothing else. They don't even have a DPL team at U13. They field fewer and fewer teams every year. ECNL is the hot ticket and GA no longer has the pull it did. Couple that with the air travel to away games vs driving and its a much tougher sell. Lesser league and more expensive is a hard combination to overcome. Some hard choices for DS on the horizon, they are heading for irrelevancy. My bet is they merge with Rising or CCV.
Desert Hound
DA
The thing to watch is their next incoming team. The 2 youngest who came in when del Sol could only offer GA are terrible. It seems incoming parents have made a choice. If next yrs entry team is terrible ....they will have problems.
Desert Hound
DA
This may be the case. That said that is what they are up against recruiting wise. That is just the reality.
ECNL is better in the SW and guess where parents will go given the choice of ECNL or GA?
3 clubs offer the top league along with less travel. The results are kind of baked in going forward.
The clubs in GA who could get back into ECNL jumped hard and fast. That right there tells you what the clubs think.
what-happened
GOLD
They certainly jumped hard and fast, epecially given the uncertainty of the new league.
Some time has passed, the GA hasn' collapsed, and clubs/parents who've gone through the experience are pleasantly surprised. To claim the GA is a harder league would be silly, especially in the SW. Soemthing to consider is whether players continue to sign at a decent rate this time next year. This year's class has done rather well for themselves. How is the incoming eligible class viewed by college coaches? This year's class had DA exposure. There are reputable clubs in the GA with connectivity to national schools, YNT, etc. There is plenty of room for both leagues to co-exist, plenty of roster slots throughout the country.
I do think if top nationally recognized clubs continue to migrate to ECNL then their could be a problem. If most stay to be the master of their domain, then the GA will be fine. GA's national events are well attended. I see things in a positive light for DDs all over the country that may gain access to a team with the platform that may help them play at the school of their choice (not neccessarily P5/D1).
I suppose we can put the horse back in the stall?
Lightning Red
GOLD
I wouldn't get so caught up with the letters of the league. If you have the talent the college coaches will find you. Of course, you need to market yourself the right way. Be sure that your coaches and college liaison have the connections needed to get you to the next steps in the process. My daughters U19 GA team had "8" girls sign NLI's yesterday ("4" Power 5's) and already have another committed for next year. We anticipate that the rest who want the college soccer path from her team will do so before the season ends.
The GA league in So Cal is certainly much weaker collectively than ECNL but it comes down to what you want to get out of it. My oldest kid stayed for the comradery, coaching, and training aspects which we still feel are superior to the other local ECNL options at her age. My youngest is on the ECNL path because that works for her. College coaches will show up for the kids they are interested in.
The GA league in So Cal is certainly much weaker collectively than ECNL but it comes down to what you want to get out of it. My oldest kid stayed for the comradery, coaching, and training aspects which we still feel are superior to the other local ECNL options at her age. My youngest is on the ECNL path because that works for her. College coaches will show up for the kids they are interested in.
rainbow_unicorn
PREMIER
I wouldn't get caught up with letters of the league. But I would be concerned with the level of competition. Playing tougher competition on a regular basis is key for development IMO. Kids/parents will train hard after tough losses versus thinking everything is OK after a landslide win over weaker team.